"The encounter between Rochester and Antoinette represents an encounter between two worlds" Discuss.

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“The encounter between Rochester and Antoinette represents an encounter between two worlds” Discuss.

Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea depicts two opposing cultures, that of England, represented by Rochester and that of Jamaica, illustrated by Antoinette. The fusion of these two worlds is inharmonious, as neither Rochester nor Antoinette is able to adapt to the constraints of the other’s culture. It is fitting that this meeting of conflicting entities unravels in a town called ‘Massacre’. In such an appropriate naming, Rhys forebodes the strife which lies ahead. Furthermore, in an ironic twist, it is evident that both characters find difficulty in embracing themselves into the culture which is their own. Indeed, Rochester and Antoinette are thrust together as a result of rejection from their own worlds. Their marriage is for the sake of convenience, as Rochester attempts to appease his family and Antoinette is forced into matrimony by her step father’s family. Yet, can their personal encounter be defined as an ‘encounter between two worlds’? Not necessarily, it is possible for one to reason that the very opposite is true, and that Rochester and Antoinette are representatives of the same struggle. Perhaps it is tragic that their union does not mark an upturn in fortunes for either character.

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It cannot be denied that in ‘The Wide Sargasso Sea’, both Antoinette and Rochester struggle to find their own identities. Antoinette’s uncertainty is capture in her very name. Throughout the novel, she is given different names, for example, it is unclear as to whether her second name is Cosway, Mason or Rochester. To further the confusion, towards the end Rochester begins to refer to Antoinette as ‘Bertha’, making clear reference to her mother. However, Rochester is also unsure of his identity. It is apparent that he feels pressurised by his father and brother, and in his attempts to meet ...

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